“Not here anymore.” The words fell like boulders from a cliff.
“Which means this place is all his now,” said Jenn, walking over to join us. “All the dreams, all the responsibility.”
“All the corporate vultures circling overhead,” added Noah, looking directly at me.
That’s when it clicked. This wasn’t just some fancy resort amenities package; this was Noah’s entire world. His entire life. Built by hand. Maintained by love. And now threatened by exactly the kind of luxury development I’d been hired to promote. Threatened by LuxeLife. Threatened by me.
“Surely there’s something you can do?”
“The problem is Noah owns the business, but LuxeLife owns the land,” said Diego.
“So once the lease expires …”
“Corporate revitalization,” said Jenn.
“Market rate improvements,” said Diego. “I’m guessing oxygen bars and salt caves have better profit margins than a climbing wall.”
The faded pictures on the walls told stories I hadn’t bothered to read. Decades of guided climbs, of teaching nervous beginners to trust their own strength, of sharing wilderness magic with city folks and helping families make memories together.
No wonder Noah and I got off on the wrong foot. My job, literally, was to help make his job go away. But not just his job. His family’s legacy. His childhood. Noah’s entire life purpose. Built from wooden kayaks and determination. And there I was, the face of everything threatening to destroy it.
“Turns out I’m a better climber than businessman.” Noah’s hands finally stilled on the rope.
I thought about my own family’s story. The year of the pandemic. Customers stopped eating out. Tourists stayed in their homes. Supply shortages. Workers getting sick. A family business that took generations to build almost fell apart in an instant. If it hadn’t been for the support of the community and the kindness of strangers …
“No,” I said.
“No?” Jenn frowned.
“This isn’t happening. Not on my watch.”
“What are you talking about, Sam?” Diego looked as confused as Jenn did.
“Maya gave us a lifeline. And I, for one, am not going to let it go. We can fix this. We can turn this thing around. Victoria’s not some monster trying to destroy this place just for fun. She’s a businesswoman. A smart one. A successful one. If we can prove authentic Colorado is what people really want … more importantly, what people will pay for, she won’t turn her back on a good thing.”
“Speaking of lifelines.” Noah handed me the climbing rope. “Before we show people more authentic Colorado, you need toshow me I won’t have to rappel down a mountain and haul your carcass out of a ravine.”
“Wow, that’s very specific.”
“Stick ‘em in.” Noah opened the bag of chalk and motioned for me to stick my hands inside.
“This isn’t going to mess up my manicure, is it?” I stuck my hands in the bag.
“It’s definitely going to mess up your manicure.”
When I pulled my hands out of the sack, they were covered in chalk, the fine powder coating my fingers like ghostly gloves. “Good. That gives me an excuse to get another one at the spa later. What about you, Jenn, care to join me?”
“Is LuxeLife paying?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then count me in.”
Diego dropped the life vest he was patching and came over to join us. “You know, I’ve had a lot of tension in my shoulders lately.” He winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I could really use a massage.”
“You’re invited too, Diego.” He gave me a grin.
“Probably all the stress of working with Noah,” noted Jenn.
